The Group’s working environment policy emphasises areas in which action needs to be taken. This is supplemented by local guidelines. Holmen conducts annual internal audits of its working environment and fire safety activities.
Continued high level of industrial accidents
With effect from 2010, Holmen reports the accident rate in the same way as the rest of the industry – the number of industrial accidents in proportion to the number of employees in the Group. The number of industrial accidents per 1 000 employees leading to more than eight hours of absence has been over 25 in the past three years. The number of industrial accidents fell during the year to 19, which is in line with the goal for the year. This was, however, overshadowed by the fatal accident that occurred at Braviken in August 2011. No Holmen employee has previously been involved in a fatal accident. Too many accidents are caused by safety equipment not being used or procedures not being followed. Reducing the number of such accidents represents a major challenge for Holmen. No Holmen employee has been involved in a fatal accident.
Industrial accidents - target
Holmen's target is to reduce the number of industrial accidents resulting in absence of more than eight hours by 30 per cent per year, so that it is no more than 10 per 1 000 employees in 2013. The vision is to become a completely injury-free company. A programme has been developed to improve the safety culture. This entails for example a major commitment to behaviour-based safety training (BBS) for all employees. Serious accidents and incidents have to be investigated more quickly and reported personally to the mill manager. A number of special activities took place at mills and sawmills over the past year, under the title of "Year of Safety". Certified management systems (OHSAS 18000) have been introduced at Workington Mill (2005) and Hallsta Paper Mill (2012) to address health and safety issues. A decision has been made on OHSAS 18001 being introduced in the Group's mills by the end of 2014 at the latest. Holmen regards this as important, not just for present-day employees but also for those who will be recruited in the future.
Incident reporting
Some serious incidents have occurred at Holmen units in recent years. The risk of accidents can be reduced by reporting incidents and by learning from them.
Training in working environment issues
All new employees at the mills undergo training in what defines a safe working environment. All managers and union safety representatives receive training.
Declining rate of sickness absence
The rate of sickness absence was around 7 per cent at the start of the 2000s. It has steadily fallen and is now half that level (3.5 per cent). Holmen has followed the general trend in society, but there are also grounds for regarding this as a result of the company’s work on health.
Long-term absence (more than 60 days)
has been below 1.5 per cent for a few years. Ten years ago the rate of long-term absence was around 4 per cent. Furthermore, women are no longer as over-represented as they used to be among people on long-term sick leave. The large workforce reductions in recent years have been accomplished in many cases through early retirement, which has also contributed to the lower rate of long-term absence. Researchers claim that people who are fit for work need a rate of absence of 1–2 per cent to recover from serious illnesses. Holmen is within this range.
Short-term absence (1–14 days)
has been below 2 per cent for many years, which is lower than for the industry as a whole. People need time to recover from short-term illnesses, and too low a rate of sick leave can instead mean that people go to work when they should not.
Good-health index
Holmen annually measures what is known as the good-health index. This is a measure of the proportion of employees who have not had a day of sick leave during a calendar year. In the past few years the good-health index at Holmen’s units has been around 45 per cent. The Group offers its employees a range of preventive healthcare activity options.
Stress
The employee survey contains questions on stress and anxiety. In addition, the survey asks whether there is time for recovery. The results are at an acceptable level.
Company health service
All employees have access to a company health service that provides rehabilitation and supports return to work. Regular health checks are also offered to the employees so that they can detect early onset of disease.
Legionella
The wastewater treatment plants at several Swedish forest industry mills contain legionella bacteria. An industry-wide method of analysis of health and safety-related risks has been introduced and has been applied at Holmen units for a few years. Maintenance procedures and water handling have been improved. Affected individuals and at-risk groups are offered health assessments.